What's third-hand smoke? Researchers say it's far more dangerous than we ever realized.

"The results indicate potentially severe, long-term consequences, particularly to children."

Have you ever walked out of a building and smelled smoke even after the smoker has moved on? Or maybe caught a whiff on someone's clothes long after their cigarette has been extinguished? That's what scientists have termed - third hand smoke, and its effects may have been greatly underestimated.

Research led by the University of York has highlighted the potential cancer risk in non-smokers – particularly young children – of tobacco smoke gases and particles deposited to surfaces and in household dust.

Until now, the risks of this kind of exposure have not been well studied or considered in public policy.

However, a new study published in the journal Environment International, has estimated for the first time the potential cancer risk by age group through non-dietary ingestion and skin exposure to third hand smoke. The results indicate potentially severe, long-term consequences, particularly to children.

The research was carried out by York’s Wolfson Atmospheric Chemistry Laboratories, the National Centre for Atmospheric Science, and the Chromatography and Environmental Applications research group at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Spain.

The study demonstrates for the first time the widespread presence of tobacco related carcinogens in house dust, even in ‘smoke-free’ environments.

Scientists collected dust samples from private homes occupied by both smokers and non-smokers. Using observations of house dust composition, they estimated the cancer risk by applying the most recent official toxicology information.

They found that for children aged one to six years old, the cancer risks exceeded the limit recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in three quarters of smokers’ homes and two thirds of non-smokers’ homes. The maximum risk predicted from the third hand smoke levels in a smoker occupied home equated to one extra cancer case per one thousand population exposed.

Lead investigator, Dr Jacqueline Hamilton, from York’s Wolfson Atmospheric Chemistry Laboratories, said: “The risks of tobacco exposure do not end when a cigarette is extinguished. Non-smokers, especially children, are also at risk through contact with surfaces and dust contaminated with residual smoke gases and particles, the so-called third hand smoke. This risk should not be overlooked and its impact should be included in future educational programs and tobacco-related public health policies.”

---

Reduce your exposure to airborne tobacco, chemicals, dust and odors with an AllerAir air purifier for tobacco smoke and odor. Unlike conventional air cleaners, AllerAir air purifiers remove airborne chemicals and smoke odors as well as fine particles. Our units feature the largest industrial-grade activated carbon filters and medical-grade HEPA filters to remove more pollutants. Connect with us to learn more www.allerair.com.

5.6 million U.S. children prematurely will die unless current smoking rates drop

Approximately 5.6 million American children alive today – or one out of every 13 children under age 18 – will die prematurely from smoking-related diseases in their lifetime unless current smoking rates drop, according to a recent Surgeon General’s report.

Over the last 50 years, more than 20 million Americans have died from smoking. The report concludes that cigarette smoking kills nearly half a million Americans a year, with an additional 16 million suffering from smoking-related conditions. It puts the price tag of smoking in this country at more than $289 billion a year in direct medical care and other economic costs.

“Smokers today have a greater risk of developing lung cancer than they did when the first Surgeon General’s report was released in 1964, even though they smoke fewer cigarettes,” said Acting Surgeon General Boris Lushniak, M.D., M.P.H. “How cigarettes are made and the chemicals they contain have changed over the years, and some of those changes may be a factor in higher lung cancer risks. Of all forms of tobacco, cigarettes are the most deadly – and cause medical and financial burdens for millions of Americans.”

“Over the last 50 years tobacco control efforts have saved 8 million lives but the job is far from over,” said HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Howard K. Koh, M.D., M.P.H. “This report provides the impetus to accelerate public health and clinical strategies to drop overall smoking rates to less than 10% in the next decade. Our nation is now at a crossroads, and we must choose to end the tobacco epidemic once and for all.”

---

Reduce your family's exposure to airborne tobacco with an AllerAir air purifier for tobacco smoke and odor. Unlike conventional air cleaners, AllerAir air purifiers remove airborne chemicals and smoke odors as well as fine particles. Our units feature the largest industrial-grade activated carbon filters and medical-grade HEPA filters to remove more pollutants. Connect with us to learn more www.allerair.com.

Marker in the blood of male smokers linked to higher risk of lung cancer; May help with earlier detection

Photo: Dream Designs

Elevated levels of bilirubin in the blood get attention because they often indicate that something has gone wrong with the liver. Now researchers have found that male smokers with low levels of the yellow-tinged chemical are at higher risk for lung cancer and dying from the disease.

A team led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported its findings in a late-breaking abstract at the AACR Annual Meeting 2013 in Washington, D.C.

"Our study indicates male smokers with low levels of bilirubin are a high-risk group that can be targeted with smoking cessation help, low-dose spiral CT screening of their lungs and other preventive measures," said senior author Xifeng Wu, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chair of MD Anderson's Department of Epidemiology and the Betty B. Marcus Chair in Cancer Prevention.

Lung cancer usually is diagnosed at a late stage, when tumors are inoperable and treatments largely ineffective. The overall five-year survival rate is 15 percent, but it falls to 5 percent for stage 3 lung cancer patients and 1 percent for those with stage 4 disease.

Spiral CT scans catch cancer early, biomarker could reduce false positives

The National Lung Screening Trial found that low-dose spiral computed tomography screening reduces mortality among heavy smokers by 20 percent. However, 95 percent of growths found by spiral CT are false positives, a barrier to large-scale screening.

"Validated biomarkers are urgently needed to improve risk prediction for lung cancer and to reduce false positives, shifting the balance toward more effective and efficient CT screening for cancer detection," Wu said.

The researchers started with an objective analysis of levels of metabolites — substances produced during metabolism. Bilirubin is produced during the breakdown of old blood cells.

They analyzed 60 samples divided into three groups known as "trios" — normal controls, early stage and late stage non-small cell lung cancer patients. The top three metabolites were validated in two more groups of 50 and 123 trios.

When bilirubin emerged as the most significant metabolite, another validation study was done in a prospective cohort of 435,985 people with 208,233 men in Taiwan.

Men were divided into four groups according to their serum bilirubin levels. Lower bilirubin level was associated with significantly higher rates of both lung cancer incidence and mortality.

In the Taiwanese cohort, the incidence rate per 10,000 person-years in men was 7.02 for those in the lowest bilirubin quartile (.68 mg/dL or less), compared to 3.73 in the highest quartile of bilirubin level (1.12 mg/dL or more). The mortality rate per 10,000 person-years was 4.84 for the lowest level compared with 2.46 in the highest bilirubin quartile.

Next step: Establish a risk prediction model in heavy smokers

Bilirubin makes sense as a protective agent because of its anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative effects. "It's plausible that bilirubin protects against lung cancer by scavenging free radicals and carcinogens associated with smoking," said study presenter Fanmao Zhang, a doctoral candidate in epidemiology.

Indeed, a Belgian study showed that bilirubin in the high normal range lowered cancer mortality in men. A study in the United Kingdom showed higher bilirubin levels in the normal range were associated with lower risks of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and all-cause mortality. Neither of those studies stratified their analysis of bilirubin by smoking status.

"We expected that bilirubin might be protective, but our finding that bilirubin levels affect only smokers was somewhat of a surprise," Wu said. "Our discovery that low levels increase lung cancer risk is unique."

Smokers in the two middle cohorts of bilirubin levels also had higher lung cancer risk than those in the highest quartile. As an objective risk index for lung cancer and all-cause mortality, low levels of bilirubin should send an urgent message to quit smoking, said Chi Pang Wen, M.D., Ph.D., co-lead author from National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan.

The next step, Wu said, is to evaluate the predictive value of serum bilirubin in heavy smokers and to establish a risk prediction model that incorporates bilirubin and other biomarkers with clinical and epidemiological data to improve the efficiency of lung cancer risk prediction.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Concerned about cigarette smoke and odor? Need meticulously clean indoor air as a result of a respiratory illness? AllerAir makes specialized air purifiers using activated carbon and HEPA filters to remove dust, allergens and the chemicals and odors that other air cleaners leave behind. Speak with an air quality expert today for a free recommendation 1-888-852-8247.